The Mysterious Man Who Claimed To Never Age

“Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” —Jack Benny

In A Nutshell

One of the strangest figures in history is The Count of Saint Germain. This man’s origins were never truly known. He was believed by many to be immortal and didn’t appear to age or eat. While some believe him to have died, others say he disappeared just as mysteriously, and some people still claim sightings of the alleged ageless man to this day.

The Whole Bushel

After being forcibly removed from England for alleged spying, the count appeared in France in the mid-1700s in the court of King Louis the XV and soon became a frequent and much-loved guest. However, it quickly became clear that this man was much more than first met the eye. He was said to be a master of pretty much any language you threw at him, from Arabic to Chinese, German to Sanskrit, and everything in between. He was said to also be incredibly skilled at the arts: He was a violinist and was said to have written a great many works. Many people were greatly intrigued by this young man of impeccably good manners, whose origins were completely shrouded in mystery. Legend says that the count was particularly reticent about discussing his origins and once said that he was 500 years old, in what people at the time thought was an attempt to deflect discussion elsewhere.

Others of course, had far different theories. For you see, the count was also insanely rich. He would carry bags of jewels with him and never seemed to be wanting for money, but no one could tell for sure where he got his money from or how. He was said to never take any food in public whatsoever and was said to never wear any colors but black or white. Some accounts say that he formed the Freemasons, or was one himself, while others connect him to the Rosicrucians and he was said to study all sorts of occult practices including Alchemy and teachings of Kabbalah. This led many people to speculate that he may have learned how to create an actual, functioning philosopher’s stone and thus have all the money and youth he could ever want. As recently as the 1900s, people have claimed to still sight the count and many claim he never truly died. Part of the legend is down to the fact that some records state that he died in 1784, but others state that is impossible because he was doing ambassadorial work for the French Masons a year later.

There is of course, one other strange theory regarding the count. Some people may have heard of the legend of the wandering Jew. The old legend states that a Jew saw Jesus on the way to be executed and made fun of him, setting off a terrible punishment for his crime. To make sure this insulting individual got his just desserts, Jesus supposedly made him wander around the earth without dying until he returns to sit on his throne of judgment. According to some theories, the Count of Saint Germain is this wandering Jew. Those who subscribe to this theory point out that he only wore black and white, never appeared to require food, and had a strong knowledge of ancient language. While many of these theories may sound fanciful, it is certainly a mystery as to where this man came from and how he came to exert such influence on his surroundings.